362 MACQUEEN'S REMARKS ON CENTRAL AFRICA. [June 27, 1859. 



The second Paper read was — 



2. Eemarks on Portuguese Journeys in Central Africa. By James 

 Macqueen, Esq., f.r.g.s. 



SiLVA Porto is a Portuguese trader, who has written an account of 

 three journeys that he undertook in Southern and Central Africa, 

 starting from Benguela. In the first he reached Castange, in his 

 second he travelled still farther, and in his third he crossed the 

 entire continent on a parallel to the north of Livingstone's route. 



He emerged at Mozambique, having journeyed in the company of 

 some Zanzibar Arab traders, who had themselves previously crossed 

 the continent, and were then returning homeward. He was on the 

 road from June, 1853, to November, 1854, of which time he employed 

 190 days in actual travel. 



Silva Porto's itinerary is little more than a statement of days' 

 marches and of their directions, recorded very roughly, together with 

 a mention of the rivers he crossed and an estimate of their breadth. 

 From these materials, and from an occasional similarity of names, 

 Mr. Macqueen endeavours to bring Silva Porto's geographical facts 

 into comparison with those of Livingstone and other travellers, and 

 has exhibited the result in a diagram which accompanies the present 

 paper. Without the aid of this diagram it is wholly impossible to 

 do justice to Mr. Macqueen's minute analysis. It will be published 

 in the Journal of next year, together with his paper in full. 



With the exception of three culminating points, Silva Porto's 

 route usually lay through fertile plains, subject to heavy rains, and 

 cut up with rivers in many places. 



At the close of his paper Mr. Macqueen makes the following 

 remarks on the commercial value of South Central Africa : — 



'* In taking a general survey of Africa, it is at once evident and undeniable 

 that the Portuguese possessions or dominions in South Africa are the most 

 valuable and most important and useful portion of that vast and hitherto neg- 

 lected continent. Expanding along the East Coast 1000 geographical miles, 

 and along the West Coast 700, they command the entrance into every part of 

 the interior, well known to be comparatively wealthy and all fertile, capable 

 of producing every article of agricultural produce that is known in the 

 tropical world. Their claim also to most of the interior is preferable and 

 well known. More than one river, especially the Zambesi, opens up to some 

 distance a communication with more remote countries in the interior. It is 

 also in many places very populous, but these people are generally engaged in 

 internal wars. The greatest misfortune that ever befel Portugal was the 

 withdrawal of her attention from Africa to the Brazils, and the removing of 

 such multitudes of her population from the fonuer to the latter. In Africa 

 itself her population can be best and most profitably employed, and that em- 

 ployment only can regenerate Africa and raise her to wealth, independence, 

 and civilization, so as to become useful to herself and to the rest of the world. 



